The present invention relates to a racetrack, and, more particularly, to a rail system for a turf track that allows for a simple and efficient reconfiguration of the rails to define a course over only a portion of the track.
A racetrack is typically bounded by a fence or other barrier to define the course and to separate the horses from spectators. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,002 (issued to Fontana), the earliest types of fencing were some form of wooden fences, such as post and rail, board fences, and in parts of England, even hedges and hedgerows. Although such wooden fencing was an effective barrier, upon impact of a horse or rider, the fence was inclined to break. Not only did this endanger spectators, but the accompanying splintering of the wooden materials created a hazardous and potentially lethal condition for the horse and/or rider.
As a result, over time, wooden fences were replaced by substantially continuous wooden or metal rails, which were supported by vertical posts at spaced intervals around the racetrack. Then, as a further improvement, the vertical posts were replaced with curved or inclined posts that extended inwardly over the racetrack, and thus, held the rail out some distance from the posts, to lessen the possibility that a horse or rider would strike the posts themselves. However, there remained significant safety concerns.
Now, in most modern day racetrack constructions, there is a fixed inner rail and a fixed outer rail that delineate the racetrack. Although the most common form of racetrack has a dirt/sand composition that serves as the “track cushion,” some venues also have a turf track. Although any form of racetrack must be regularly and carefully maintained for the safety of the horse and their riders, a turf track requires especially intensive maintenance and upkeep efforts. Even if properly maintained, however, it is often necessary to limit use of the turf track because of the damage that is caused by repeated travel of horses over the turf.
For this reason, many racetracks use some form of temporary rail system to restrict use of the turf. For example, horses may be permitted only to practice on the outer portion of the track, while the inner portion of the track (nearest the rail) is used only for actual races. However, such temporary constructions require significant labor to assemble and disassembled.
Thus, there remains a need for a rail system that allows for a simple and efficient reconfiguration of the rails to define a limited course over a portion of the track.